China presence at organ trafficking conference called window-dressing

Hong Kong (UCAN): The presence of Chinese health officials at the March 12 to 13 conference on organ trafficking at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in the Vatican, would be more meaningful if such meetings weren’t just mere “window-dressing,” said a human rights researcher.

Patrick Poon, an Amnesty International researcher, had little faith in what they had to offer.

“The Chinese government has never disclosed any credible information about how organ transplants are done in China,” Poon said.

“In the past, Huang Jiefu, former deputy health minister, even made contradictory remarks on whether organ transplants were taken from prisoners,” he explained.

Huang, a liver surgeon, is the official spokesperson for China’s organ transplantation system, which has been dogged by consistent reports that it harvests organs from death-row prisoners, religious and ethnic minorities such as Uyghurs, Tibetans, unofficial Christians and primarily Falun Gong spiritual practitioners.

“If the Chinese government is genuine in addressing the issue, why haven’t they released any official figures about how many organ transplants are there in China and how organ transplants are conducted?” Poon asked.

“Such (conferences) would be more meaningful if these kinds of issues are addressed instead of merely a window-dressing show,” he said.

“While I don’t want to speculate on the Vatican’s intention (for) organising such events, I wonder why the Vatican (doesn’t) organise any events addressing human rights and justice issues in countries like China, as the United Nations and many countries have raised concerns about human rights in China,” Poon added.